Still Separate, Still Unequal

In Kozol’s article “Still Separate, Still Unequal-America’s educational apartheid,” Kozol speaks of how the American educational system has been trying to diversify the student body in public schools for decades. They have even built several new schools in mostly white neighborhoods, hoping that the close proximity of the school would encourage white parents to send their children to those schools. Instead, when parents see that mostly African Americans and Hispanics attend these schools, they pull their children out of them and send them to private, white institutions.

Shouldn’t we be sending our children to diverse schools to teach them how to the real world actually is? The world is diverse with multiple races and backgrounds. What is most disturbing about this article is that this idea of diversifying schools is used too often. “Schools in which as few as 3 or 4 percent of students may be white or Southeast Asian or of Middle Eastern origin are referred to as ‘diverse'” (43).

In The Wire it is evident that there is little to NO diverse student body. Most to all of the students are African American, it is only the teachers that are diverse such as Mr. Prezbo, Assistant Principal Marcia Donnelly, and UM Professor David Parenti. Like The Wire though, schools in the South Bronx area have very little funding and the schools are constantly a mess. “In another elementary school which had been built to hold 1,000 children but was packed to bursting with some 1,500” (44). No one wants to send their children to schools that are not functioning properly-especially parents who have money to send their children to a better school.

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9 Responses

I think adinafischer makes a great point- we most certainly SHOULD be sending our children to schools that are diverse because that is how “the real world actually is.” I would think that students who go to an “all-one race” school with little to no diversity would be in a culture shock, once they got to college or even the workplace. For example, I know one college student who is also a senior who came from a relatively small private school. It was an all-white school and when he came to Binghamton, he came with multiple and various predispositions of every other race besides white. These were often cruel and judgemental, and he created enemies right away. After his first semester, he finally began to understand that his high-school was clearly just a small, segregated piece of the unreal world. He has learned a lot in his time here and now he regrets ever thinking the way he did. But what if he didn’t learn? What if he held tight to these predispositions and taught them to his children and their children and so forth? Students need to be in a culturally diverse environment from the onset.

While I can understand that parents want to send their children to good schools, I cannot understand why for instance parents in that upper-class white neighborhood in NYC, would specifically avoid sending their children to Martin Luther King Jr which was built right in their town. The school, as Kozol points out, was built “in the belief- or hope- that it would draw large numbers of white students by permitting them to walk to school…” Why are these parents afraid? Why are we still struggling with segregation to this day, when this case was essentially settled back in 1954?

I agree with you both on the fact that we should be sending our kids to racially mixed schools (I figured I’d say that instead of diverse since we obviously have seen that the word has lost a lot of it’s meaning based on those schools). The world is mixed especially in an age where we have a black President in America.

A lot of their teaching methods were quite scary. Did anybody else instantly think of Hitler when Mr. Endicott raised his hand up and diagonally out to tell them to be quiet? It reminded me a little bit of Friere’s banking system. Although these students did get some time to talk with their fellow classmates, it seems that the Skinner approach to teaching is very much so the teacher just depositing information to the pupil. This article also reminded me of what we discussed last week in the article where it said upper-middle class students tend to have better verbal skills because their parents spend time with them and they are allowed to question the teachers, and lower class students just do as they’re told. This is also very true of parenting styles. Lower class families tend to have parents that are very Authoritarian, where there are strict rules that are rigid, so their kids don’t get in trouble because they are either busy working multiple jobs, or too lazy, where middle class parents tend to be Authoritative, and implement rules but with reasoning and more warmth. Doesn’t seem fair, but it is hard to determine how those “other factors” can effect someone.

Note: This approach is part of the Success for All program, one of the top “curricula” that schools that do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) get to choose from to improve their test scores. The scripted lesson I showed last was also part of SFA.

And a random question, not specifically directed at you, Morgan: Are middle-class parents ever lazy?

While I think it would be beneficial to have all children sent to richly diverse schools, I do not see it as vital to a student’s success or to someones understanding of how the real world actually works. I know a few people, some who attended all white schools and one who attended an all Hispanic school and all of them were able to easily mold into the diverse lifestyle most colleges offer. I think schools indirectly give people a certain amount of general social skills that can prepare them for the real world even if they came from a one sided culture or way of life. Even people growing up in all white schools can use the general skills they developed to adapt to and learn different peoples way of living and acting. On the other side, kids growing up in all black or all Hispanic schools could also adapt their social skills to a more multi-ethnic setting.

A couple of questions: 1.) Isn’t more important to understand diversity in our global, flattened world? 2.) How diverse are colleges? Obviously more diverse than the public schools we looked at (not the least because of foreign students), but I think socio-economic status might be a factor as well as to how well students “fit in.” 3.) Doesn’t college generally pattern itself off of a white, middle-class way of life? Meaning, wouldn’t it be easier for a white student to fit in regardless? And finally, to bring it back to Kozol, 4.) Why does a racial imbalance – except for whites – generally mean inequity? I’m just wondering if diversity isn’t an important issue/factor, why do we keep talking about it?

I think diversity is an incredibly important factor in this world. While doubletake3 points to specific people that were able to adapt and ‘mold” just fine, what about those people who don’t? I know plenty of people who are racist and think it’s acceptable to think that way. Don’t you think they wouldn’t have been as racist, or even racist at all, if they had gone to a diversely-rich school? Yes, people can adapt and learn other “ways” of life, but will they internally accept them?

I know that students grow intellectually, but growing socially and building networks is also crucial. If a school lacks diversity, I feel as though the student deems social connection and networks with diverse people as not as significant to their lives. After all, they got through school without ever having to do so.

I’m also not sure just how much school prepares us for the real life. I think school is just a sheltered, mini-world, and anything that is sheltered, can’t be that close to real life. College isn’t any better, even if it may be a step closer to the adult world. As ewhughes states, colleges are more diverse, but there are still colleges that are known to be predominantyly wealthy, white kids. Because colleges like this exist, it makes me wonder if there will ever be an end to the lack of diversity.

Why white parents don’t want their kids to go to “wide” cultural diversity schools? Simply because african american kids are rude, badly behaved and dangerous ! Based on my own experience ! I will never send my kids to regular public schools.

Excuse me ma’am but what you stated was very rude and quite ridiculous. It’s that kind of narrowminded, idiotic type of thinking will lead to the downfall of children in society. I dont think there is hope for you but please dont let your children believe that the world is filled with terrible people, characteristic of a crertain race. Terrible, illmannered, and “dangerous” people can be of any race, as proven by your repulsive remark. Bad mothers and fathers create bad children, the distinction between race is absolutely irrelevant. I am 19 years old and i have never felt more alienated in my life than reading your comment. The sad thing is you are supposed to be a rolemodel for our generation, an adult. But quite frankly I dont think you behave as an ignorant child.

Honestly, yes it would be in the best interest for a child that is growing up to attend a school this diverse. I myself am an African American women. I was born in Detroit and attended Public schools there until the age of te. Public schools in Detroit are of course predominantly black. Then I left and attended school in Alabama, which was predominantly white. There was a huge difference in schools and culture between the two. I do not think if I would have graduated from the more diverse school that I would be as ready for college as I was. Diverse schools do tend to house more children that are unmannerable, wild, and uncivilized. I am sorry to say that but it is true. My friend are mostly black so Im not on an Uncle Tom trip but it is the simple truth. It is because of each race’s history that has led to this. African Americans are not bad people it’s just that a lot of them have trapped minds due to history.